Cyberbullying – When hate follows us everywhere

Cyberbullying can affect anyone and everyone. Whether male or female, pupil or teacher, there is no clear “victim profile”. It is particularly difficult for those affected to escape the situation. Harassment does not end at a specific time or place. Cyberbullying takes place wherever digital media are used.

Esspecially young people who are victims of cyberbullying often feel powerless and helpless because the “bullies” remain anonymous online even if the victim knows them in person. This creates an imbalance of power between victim and perpetrator. The bullying process in groups often results in more and more other people joining because the victim's reputation drops. In contrast to a face-to-face conversation, it is not possible to directly follow the reaction of a conversation partner in cyberbullying. This lowers the inhibition threshold for perpetrators even further. Many people take part in cyberbullying, especially in groups, to avoid becoming a potential victim themselves.

If Students are affected and people do nothing about it, the students often lose interest in going to school, are less motivated and get lower grades. Dropping out of school, psychological and physical effects - such as sleep disorders, concentration problems, depression, anxiety disorders - can be possible consequences.

Perpetrators also often have problems: they often find it difficult to deal with social conflicts and find solutions to their personal difficulties. Their violent behavior can continue throughout their lives.

It is therefore important to counter cyberbullying.

For parents:

• Show interest! Find out as much as possible about your children's activities on the Internet.  Which sites do they surf? And who do they communicate with? Offer yourself as a point of contact in the event of problems and help your child to defend themselves against bullying without apportioning blame.
• The same legal regulations apply to online bullying as in “real life”. Massive insults, threats and harassment are punishable by law. Violations of personal rights through the unauthorized publication of photos or films are also punishable. There are ways to take action against attacks, but quick action is required before rumors or photos and videos can spread further.
• Document the incident
• Make a note of all the information about the perpetrators and the platform on which the bullying is taking place. Take screenshots of offensive posts and save emails and messages with defamatory content.
• Contact the operator of the platform on which the bullying is taking place: Inform them about the incidents. Provide them with as many details as possible. The operator is obliged to delete the defamatory content from their site. If they do not do this or if you need help in any other way, you can contact a complaints hotline such as www.jugendschutz.net.
• Seek a conversation. The majority of cyberbullying incidents have their roots in the everyday lives of young people - which is why the perpetrators of the attacks are often known, even if they act anonymously. If this is the case, you can talk to their parents or the school. Once the bullying has been addressed, the attacks often stop.
• File a complaint. In cases of massive insults and threats and gross violations of personal rights, it is possible to press charges against the perpetrator(s). It is important that you have documented the incidents as well as possible beforehand and passed them on to the police.

For children and young people:

• Don't reveal too much about yourself!
• Your place of residence, school, cell phone number and password should always remain your secret and not be visible on the Internet.
• Think before you publish something on the Internet! Once something is on the Internet, it is not easy to remove it. If you post a photo of yourself, choose one in which you are not clearly recognizable.
• If you want to post a photo of friends, you must first ask them for permission.
• Stay suspicious!
• Don't add everyone to your friends list straight away. Other community members don't always tell the truth about themselves.
• Don't get involved in online arguments and don't join in. If others are trying to get someone down online or you witness a bullying attack, help the victim by informing an adult.

Our Crime prevention in the district of Olpe offers help and personal counseling sessions https://redaktion-olpe.polizei.nrw/kriminalpraevention-im-kreis-olpe